TALKIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 71, 6 October 1939, Page 6

TALKIES

BROODING MENACE OF KHYBERi PASS IN "GUNGA DlN'' An attack on a British patrol by worshippers of Kali, goddess of the murderous cult of Thuggee, in the vicinity Pf India's historic Khyber Pass is the? incident which stirs up tro.uJ.jlo along the' North-western Fron tier, brings English' troops into action, and marks the oponl{fg" {;[' hostilities in "Gunga. Din," RivO Badio's yip.w. big thrift melodrama starving Gary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr„

Between Afghanistan and India] lies a country of mountains and rocks over 30,000 feet i n height where for centuries, fierce, warlike tribesmen have carried on guerilla warfare. Small villages, which are really forts, dominate the centre of the pass. Here dwell the nomadic tribesmen whose love ofl fighting is a hereditary passion derived from ancient ancestors who "lived by the sword," .From their -watch and behind walls loop-holed lov musketry, they arc ever ready to open Tire upon intruders. Only the highway is British, the rest is tribal territory, and not too easily invaded.

Peaec along the border has never been a really permanent condition. It is only maintained by the constant vigilance of the soldiers that England keeps in readiness ! o conduct punitive operations. Probably no other spot in the wo'. Id picscnts such obstacles to military manoeuvres, and certainly none calls i'or as much htmd-to-hand fighting as takes place when Tohinij Atkins "goes in'' with bayonet against the savage swordsmen of the hills. A charge executed with the cold steel by the kilted laddies of a Highland regiment is one ovl the most colourfully exciting episodes in "Gunga Din, ' this being but one of countless conflicts in the film.

The story deals with the adventures of Din,' fi nati\/; regimental water-carrier, and his three friends, Sergeants Cutter, MacChesncy and Ballantine, of the Queen's Own Sappers, during which the humble Hindu upsets all traditions by displaying initiative and courage of such a high order that lie becomes a hero. Rudyard Kipling's poem. "Gunga Din" (formed the basis of the picture plot. George Stevens pro duced and directed the feature. UNIQUE "MARCH OF TIME*' JAPAN —MASTER OF THE ORIENT A special feature which shoiiid hold the interest of Whakatanc audiences is a unique "March o( Time film, which depicts the Japanese Lo."! rule in Manchukuo. Also the progress of the China incident, which to date has cost, the Island Empire half a million lives and drags on in its fourth year. "IN OLD MEXICO'* Tt may be a far cry from a place in New York's top-notch society to the role of girl bandit in an, outdoor action drama, but that marks thecareer of Betty Amann, who plays a leading role in <c ln Old Mexico. Paramount's new Hopalong Cnssidy story. When she became bored with the gay litfc of Manhattan -i few years ago, Miss Amann decided to pursue her girlhood ambition to Tiecome an. actress. She said lareweTl to Fifth Avenue and Iwft America to try her luck abroad, After a successful screen career in England. France and Germany, the young woman returned to her native land, and now plays her first American film role in, a east headed by William Boyd, George Hayes and Russell Hay den.

G-MEN" AGAIN GanglaruTs most powerful awl dar ing figures arc outsmarted by a clever young G-man in "Illegal Iraffic Paramount'* sensational ex nose of the "getaway' 7 racket. The fast-mov-ing plot concerns the new racket by which gangsters h?lp criminals escape from the law at 30,000 dollars a ride and the government's camnaign to clean it up by using gangdom's own technique. J. Carrol Naish La'tlry Crabbe and Picnro Watlun play the chief gangsters, while Robert Preston and Mary Carlisle share the romantic interest. The picture was directed by Louis King, v/ho filmed several 'Bulldog Drummond r stories and the recent f Pris"n farm.